[xi_hyperon]

Virus-laden poo threatens climbers

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) -- Mountaineers who ascend North America's loftiest peak are often brought down to earth by "virus-laden poo" left behind by previous climbers, a medical report says.

Kind of nasty that they don't already have some sort of waste devices in the upper campgrounds. It's not like it's going to just get washed away on its own.

I admit that I am somewhat impressed that CNN chose to use the word "poo" in their headline (frontpage).

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by xi_hyperon

Virus-laden poo threatens climbers

The Last Frontier Where you just shouldn't go...

-t

[Ω]

Don't eat the yellow snow

[Nivag]

more like don't eat brown snow!

[RedHerring]

Talk about having your plans crapped on

[mitchell_pgh]

"Pack out what you pack in" I always thought that was the rule.

[brapper]

Originally Posted by mitchell_pgh

"Pack out what you pack in" I always thought that was the rule.

that's gross.
Imagine carrying around poo for days.

[turtle777]

That could be a new slogan for AK mountain climbing:

"Where the air gets thin and the poo gets thick"

-t

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by brapper

that's gross.
Imagine carrying around poo for days.

Guess what you do in your body all the time ?

-t

[AKcrab]

I'm not sure why this is news these days, as there has been a concerted effort to make the experience of climbing Denali less crappy.
Source

...
The main focus of the 2002 project was to see if a large number of climbers could remove their human waste from the 17,200-foot high camp on the popular West Buttress. The high camp, with its lack of crevasses for waste disposal and its severe weather conditions, has been known to be exceptionally filthy. Denali National Park, in partnership with the Access Fund and the American Alpine Club, purchased 220 CMCs to be used in this project. Of these, 150 cans were given out to climbers at the 14,200-foot camp over a 30-day trial period. This translates to nearly one half of the West Buttress climbers carrying their waste off - certainly a major breakthrough in waste management on Denali!
...
The used CMCs brought back down to the 14,200-foot camp were placed in cargo nets and then sling-loaded by helicopter down to the Kahiltna basecamp. From basecamp, they were flown out of the Range in fixed wing aircraft and then commercially cleaned. In addition to climbers on Denali, many expeditions in other areas of the range opted to use CMCs as they were considered environmentally friendly, useful, and convenient. In 2003, Park staff will be encouraging all other climbers in the Alaska Range to use them.

Due to the success of this year's test, the Clean Mountain Can will become mandatory for the West Buttress high camp in 2003. The CMC will again be distributed from the 14,200-foot camp, although the National Park Service will be encouraging climbers to use them along the entire route. Climbers that use them all the way will receive the coveted Denali Pro pin. For climbers that plan to carry them all the way up and down Denali, please reserve them ahead of time, as the supply is limited and the demand is growing!

More info on the CMC

Since its inception, the staff has worked closely with Paul Becker, owner of Geo Toilet Systems, on design developments to create the CMC. As far as we know, no other container designed for human waste exists in this size, weight, or strength. The Clean Mountain Can (CMC) is designed to hold 1.86 gallons of human waste and has a U.S. Department of Transportation approved two-way vent to release gases through the screw down lid. The #2 polyethylene container is cylindrical in shape, measuring 11.75 inches tall and 8.2 inches in diameter. The can is sturdy enough to be sat on when in use, and the unit comes with a disposable foam ring that works as a seat. In five testing trials, a CMC was filled three-quarters full with solid ice and dropped four feet onto concrete at an outdoor temperature of zero degrees Fahrenheit. The CMC is designed to have its contents dumped directly out and then rinsed for final cleaning. The durable CMC comes with a harness system that can lock the lid down and is sturdy enough to strap on a pack or sled. The CMC capacity is 10 to 14 uses (approximately one-half pound per use) depending on whether toilet paper is placed in the can.
...
Currently the CMCs are cleaned by a septic pumping company which is very labor intensive. Our future plans are to install a Scat Machine in Talkeetna, which would specifically be designed to clean CMCs. The Scat Machine could be coined operated, allowing climbers to clean their own cans.

Scat Machine. It's a crappy job, but someone has to do it.





A friend of mine actually helped pioneer the CMC. I can't believe all the crap climbers will tolerate.

[Eriamjh]

The main focus of the 2002 project was to see if a large number of climbers could remove their human waste from the 17,200-foot high camp on the popular West Buttress.

Buttress.

[cc_foo]

Could the poo be burnt as a source of fuel?

[JoshuaZ]

Man, you'd think any poo was bad poo.

[Ω]

"never underestimate a poo poo.

Well, I hope so, Blackadder. You know, if there's one thing I've learned from being in the army, it's never ignore a poo-poo. I knew a major: got poo-poo'd; made the mistake of ignoring the poo-poo -- he poo-poo'd it. Fatal error, because it turned out all along that the soldier who poo-poo'd him had been poo-pooing a lot of other officers, who poo-poo'd their poo-poo's. In the end, we had to disband the regiment -- morale totally destroyed ... by poo-poo!"